Run away, Stray
by The Knees of Bees
Summary: The Winchester boys find themselves in a small town in Georgia on another one of their jobs. Identify the monster, find the monster, kill the monster. It's normally that simple with an easy job like this, until they bump into a certain little runaway. Bailey is running from her own demons and she can't handle it on her own. She needs Sam and Dean. OC. No pairing.


_I had this little sub plot bunny floating around my head and figured I'd run with it. It's going to be a pretty short story, like maybe only a few chapters long, and is going to be like one of the boy's regular hunts._

_**EDITED**: I might just add another chapter or so onto this and figured I'd knock it back to about season 3 instead of 7 so it gives the character some room to grow during the timeline. I changed a few minor things just so it fits better to what was going during the 3rd season, but its nothing anyone would have to go back and reread. _

* * *

**Kingston, Georgia **

It was another smoldering day in the outskirts of a small town, the street lights flickering on just outside a small gas station. The sun wouldn't set for another two hours and yet the lights still came on far too early, the clerk complained about it just about daily to anyone that would listen.

There was little activity except for a couple of usuals that would come in and out as the sound of a noisy car engine pulled up front. Two men stepped out of each side of the car, the taller of the two pulled out his wallet and started to head towards the gas station. As he neared the door, the shorter jogged up next to him, catching the handle before the other could.

"No way I'm trusting you this time, Sammy. You wouldn't know a decent slice of pie if it bit you on the ass." He just about smirked, his jokingly serious tone dropping as he made his way inside. His younger brother rolled his eyes in response as he followed behind, letting the door close behind him.

Sam waited in line behind a portly looking man to pay for gas as Dean started sulking around the snacks section in search of something sweet after he was told by the cashier that they were out of pie. There was barely anyone there! How could they run out of pie already?

The older of the two hunters caught someone shifting around at the other end of the aisle out of the corner of his eye, and glanced sidelong at the smaller figure who held two items in their small and dirty looking hands. Their posture was rigid as they stared down at the snacks, as if deeply contemplating something. Dean took this opportunity to check them over, starting with their filthy looking navy blue hoodie, and worked down to the old looking jeans that were torn at one of the knees, and finally a pair of dirty bare feet. Squinting back up, it was hard to see the kid's face, he assumed it was a kid from their size, thanks to the hood that was pulled over their head and most of their face. This rang a few bells in Dean's head as he momentarily forgot what he was doing to turn his attention fully on the small figure a couple of feet away from him. Why would they need so much clothes, especially a hoodie, in the middle of this heat? They were hiding something.

He watched as the kid's head tilted up, probably glancing at the circular mirror that gave them a perfect view of the cashier. With quick and skilled hands, they stuffed both of the small bags into their hood pocket. which would have gone unnoticed if Dean hadn't been watching. Clearly it wasn't their first time being a kleptomaniac.

Dean relaxed some when he came to the conclusion that it was just some kid trying to steal snacks and not something he'd have to stab to death and burn. But still, his morality was nagging at him to do something about it.

He opened his mouth to call out the kid when a hand fell on his shoulder, cutting him off from making anything other than a audible grunt. He looked over his shoulder to see Sam standing there, waiting on him with a curiously raised eyebrow.

"What's the holdup?" Sam asked with a note of suspicion. He must have noticed how tense his brother was when he walked over.

Dean's mouth moved wordlessly as he went to gesture towards the kid when he realized they were gone. Moving forward, he glanced over the aisles until he caught that navy blue blur slipping out the front door. Without answering him, Dean moved around Sam who let out a confused "hey!" and ran for the door as well.

Sam followed suit, watching Dean as he ran a few paces before looking around outside, obviously frustrated and confused.

"What's your deal, man?" Sam called out as he caught up with his brother, who scanned the area one more time before heavily sighing.

"You didn't notice that kid that ran out?" Dean asked, gesturing back towards the gas station.

"What kid?" Sam shrugged as he gave the dirt road a look over in both directions with no results.

"That kid! The one that was standing near me. They nicked some snacks and high tailed it out here somewhere." Dean was frowning, looking a little too frustrated that some kid was able to get away from him.

"So?" Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Kids steal stuff all the time. Who cares?"

"I don't know, man..." Dean mumbled in defeat and watched his younger brother walk back to the Impala. "But some little twirp isn't that fast! It's like they just vanished." He was more so talking to himself as he got back into the driver seat, thumping his index finger against the steering wheel.

"Maybe you're seeing things?" Sam suggested in all sincerity, giving a shrug as he got back into the car as well. Dean shot him an annoyed glance before scoffing and starting up the engine once more. "Well, lets just get this job over with and we can forget about the teenager that outran you."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean mumbled, pulling the car away from the gas station and back onto the dirt road that headed into town.

* * *

"The report said that Mr. Henley died of a heart attack in his back yard. His son had gone back into the house to call 911 but when he came back out, Mr. Henley's chest had been ripped open and it looked like something had been chewing on his insides. We suspect maybe it was an animal that got over the fence or something, but we later found out his watch was stolen. It's a little freaky, don't you think? Do you think a person did that?"

The room was bustling with uniformed police officers, phones were ringing, and a woman was crying on the other side of the room while her husband argued with the woman behind a desk. The only two men in suits stood with one of the officers who shifted his weight to his left foot as he glanced between the two FBI agents.

Dean gave the man a snarky smile and nodded. "Freaky is one way of putting it-"

"-But we're sure it was just an animal. Give us a call if anything else unusual like this comes up?" Sam pulled out a card and handed it over to the officer who slowly nodded and stared down at it. Obviously flustered to be talking to two special agents, he stammered over his words as he promised to do just that.

"Oh! Before you go. That watch I mentioned? It showed up on the front steps this morning, wrapped in a bloody piece of fabric like some kind of sick present with a necklace." The police officer pulled two bags off his desk to show the duo, and just as he said, there was a watch and necklace with a cross; the watch's face was smeared slightly with blood.

"And did you find out who the blood on the fabric belonged to? Or the necklace?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, both belonged to a guy who had gone missing a few weeks ago after he left on a fishing trip."

"Alone?" Dean piped up.

"Yup. They guy's pretty well known for keeping to himself around here. He was found out in the woods with his arm missing up to the shoulder, and he looked chewed on too but the people down at the morgue say he died from falling down hill and breaking his neck."

Sam and Dean exchanged glances and thanked him for the information. They turned and walked to the exit, pausing near the door. "So what do you think? Werewolf?" Dean whispered.

Sam wasn't so sure, shaking his head no. "Nah, it's not that time of the month and there was nothing about missing hearts. Lets go check out the vics so we can get something more to lean on here."

They nodded in agreement as Sam made his way out the door first. Dean started after him but stopped in mid stride when something on a billboard nearby caught his attention. He squinted at a poster titled "_MISSING: BAILEY WAGENER_" with a picture of a normal looking eighteen year old girl. She had a pretty smile that reached her brown eyes and hair that was obviously dyed because it was far too red to be natural. Something about the poster irked him but he couldn't quite figure out why. He was knocked out of his thoughts when Sam back stepped back through the door.

"Dean?"

Dean shook his head, only giving the poster one more glance before waving Sam on. "It's nothing. lets go pay our stiffs a visit."

* * *

The Winchesters stepped out of the mortuary with little to no new information than when they stepped in. Dean was visibly frustrated as he finished fixing his jacket sleeves, glancing around the street corner as Sam glanced down at the small pad of paper in his hand. They began their walk back to the car, which was parked down the road due to the street in front of the morgue being under construction. As they passed by a few locally owned stores, Sam started to suggest a few monsters that could be the murderer.

"But it's weird that these people supposedly died before whatever this thing is started...eating them? Maybe it causes them to die before it can eat the corpse?" Sam wondered out loud as Dean shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing at his reflection in one of the shop windows.

"I have no idea, Sammy. All I know is, all this talk about eating is making my stomach gr-" Dean stopped in his tracks, causing Sam to keep going a few paces before realizing once again his brother wasn't next to him. "Sam, In there!" Dean whispered loudly, grabbing for his brother's jacket sleeve.

Sam squinted against the sun's gleam on the glass to see inside. Right where Dean had pointed, there was a figure; their navy blue hood pulled up over their head, standing in front of one of the racks of clothes. Sam opened his mouth to ask what the big deal was when Dean darted for the door of the shop. Sam harshly whispered his brother's name a few times but gave up when clearly ignored and stalked after him. Sometimes Dean could be so one track minded.

Dean made himself to be as inconspicuous as possible as he slid between the racks of clothing, slowly getting closer to the kid. From under the hanging clothes he could see their bare feet, even dirtier and beaten up looking than before. There was a pair of converse tucked under their arm as they rooted through one of the racks, seemingly unaware that they were being watched. As Dean made his way around the rack, only looking away once to make sure he didn't bump into an elderly woman who crossed paths with him, but when he looked back up, the kid was gone again. Cursing, his eyes quickly scanned over the store and saw them darting under the racks of clothes towards the door once again.

"Sam! Grab him!" Dean shouted as he tried to zig-zag through the clothes to grab the kid before they got away, but he had to admit the little bastard was fast. They made it to the door and was already outside but Sam was hot on their feet, his long legs matching their agile pace in a few steps. Dean caught up in time to see Sam grab the kid's shoulder as they both rounded the corner into an alley between two of the buildings. The kid was yanked off their filthy feet and landed hard on their backside.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Dean grinned victoriously, causing Sam to send him a sidelong glance that said 'Seriously?'

"Yeah, whoopie. You caught the teenage girl that weights, like fifty pounds less than you. Great job." The kid hissed, pulling her hood down to revile a pair of hard brown eyes, looking anything but pleased.

Dean's eyes widened in realization. "You're the girl from the missing poster in the police station."

Her expression automatically changed, her sneer dropping and her eyes widening in return. She barely resembled the girl from the picture. Her face was dirty, splotched with dirt and who knows what else speckling her cheeks, forehead, and nose. A few cuts decorated the bridge of her nose and left cheek, blood long ago dried and caked to her skin. The bright red colored hair she had in the picture was now faded to a duller shade from lack of care, her natural brown hair showing through the roots on top of her head. Her clothes were still cruddy and probably smelt something awful, the hoodie's pocket now half torn and jeans looking like they were ready to fall right off. The only things that looked clean were the pair of fairly new converse that were still tucked tightly under her arm and what looked like a pair of jean shorts.

From under her breath the brothers heard her mumble, "They have posters of me now?" and something clicked in Sam's head.

"Did you run away from home?"

Her head snapped in his direction, her large but tired looking eyes locking onto his. She didn't answer but worked her jaw as her grip on the shoes and shorts tightened. "Are you going to turn me in?" She asked, barely loud enough for either of them to hear.

"What do you think? I saw you pocketing food at that gas station outside of town too. Who knows what else you've been stealing." Dean all but barked, an authoritative tone coating his words.

Sam sent his brother another look, not all that sure he was treating the situation properly. There was obviously something very wrong going on. "Don't you think you should go back home?" He asked in a gentle voice.

She immediately shook her head, her eyes holding an almost fearful gleam to them. "No- No, I can't go back there."

"Well we can't just let you keep running around like some homeless kleptomaniac." Dean crossed his arms over his chest and she looked up at him. He didn't bother to add in the part where she was in potential danger of getting killed and eaten by some monster that was lurking around town.

"What do you care?" She suddenly barked back, getting back up on her feet. "You guys don't know me! You didn't even know I existed until yesterday when you just-so-happened to notice me stealing food."

Dean seemed taken back by her bite, his arms falling back to his sides. A hard expression fell over Sam's face as he stood a little taller before speaking up. "Because its the right thing to do." Dean looked over at his younger brother, a look of pride falling over his face before he nodded in agreement and thumbed over at Sam. "Yeah, what he said."

She looked between the two of them, seeming defeated as exhaustion caused her shoulders to sag. A silence fell over the three of them before a loud growl interrupted it. Her hand pressed against her stomach as a look of slight pain crossed her face, causing her eyebrows to push together.

"I know exactly how you feel. How about we go get something to eat?" Dean chipped in, clapping his hands together and grinned.

For a split moment she looked guarded, as if deciding on whether or not she should run but the wall was dropped when another loud groan came from her empty stomach. With a small nod from the teenager, they left the alley way, pausing outside the store she had fled from for a couple of minutes so Sam could go inside and pay for her new shoes and shorts. She put them on outside of a dinner before they walked in.

Sitting down at a booth, Sam and Dean on one side, and her on the other, they waited until after they ordered before any of them spoke again.

"I'm Bailey by the way, if you didn't already know from the posters." She was almost shy as she introduced herself, playing with her wrapped utensils to avoid looking either of them in the eye.

"I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean." Sam gestured to both himself and Dean as he spoke to which Bailey smiled.

"Oh, brothers? Let me guess. Sam's the older one."

"What? No! I'm the big brother here!" Dean just about shouted, obviously offended as Sam tried his best to cover up his amusement.

"Oh, oops. Sam's just, you know, taller. And seems more- responsible? No wait, sensible is the word I'm looking for."

"I don't look sensible to you?" Dean fired back, his eyebrows raised.

His comment went ignored as Sam tried to change the subject, clearing his throat so the girl's attention would turn to him. "Why did you run away from home, Bailey?"

Bailey's entertained expression sobered as she went back to staring at her silverware, unraveling the napkin to play with the fork. A convoluted expression took its place. "It's complicated," she finally mumbled after a small pause.

Dean went to press the issue when their food arrived, steaming food catching all of Bailey's attention and silencing his unspoken question. She didn't even hesitate before scooping up the hamburger in front of her and taking a monster bite out of it. She moaned after swallowing down the delicious combination of bread, vegetables, and meat, her eyes rolling dramatically.

Sam chuckled as he stabbed at his own meal with a fork. Her actions were very similar to Dean's normal response to devouring a burger. Though where she looked like she hadn't had a decent meal in weeks, Dean just really appreciated a good hamburger.

"So what's up with the suits?" Bailey casually asked between mouthfuls.

Sam and Dean exchanged glances, Dean was the one to answer, "We're FBI agents."

Bailey had taken a drink of her tea when he spoke and in result nearly spewed the liquid all down her front. She coughed, half-heartedly pounding a fist against her chest. "No, seriously."

"Yeah seriously. Haven't you noticed the weird deaths going on around here?" Dean asked, an eyebrow raised at her.

Her eyes quickly darted away and she filled her mouth with another bite to avert having to physically answer him. She simply shook her head no and the Winchester brothers couldn't help but find it suspicious, Dean even narrowed his eyes at her.

When the three of them finished up their meal, they headed outside just as the sun was starting to set. Bailey looked around awkwardly, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Well, I guess I should go then. Thanks for the meal and all." She made to dart away when Sam stopped her.

"We're staying in a hotel in town. We can set you up with a room so you can shower and sleep. You, uh, kind of look like you'd need it." He watched the girl's cheeks flush in embarrassment as she attempted to push some of her greasy hair behind her ear, like she just then remembered the physical state she was in. Staring down at her feet, she gave a small nod. Sam nodded in return and gave her a reassuring smile as she started walking ahead of them, seemingly knowing where the only hotel in town was located.

Dean grabbed at Sam's arm, slowing him down some so that they could talk without Bailey hearing. "Dude, are we just going to let this slide?" He whispered.

"No. I know what you're thinking, and I know. We can't let her keep going on like she is. She's going to end up starving to death or killed and left on the side of the road somewhere." Sam sighed, frowning at the back of the girl's head.

"A little more morbid than what I was thinking, but yeah." Dean nodded, also paying Bailey a quick glance.

"Just follow my lead."

Sam quickened his stride to catch up with Bailey, tightly locking her arm in his. Dean caught up and did the same with her other arm, to which she quickly started to panic. "What are you guys doing?" She asked, looking up between the two of them as fear and resentment starting to fill her eyes.

"We're sorry about this Bailey, but its for your own good. Trust us." Sam frowned, avoiding looking at her and the way her eyes widened even further.

"No! No you guys don't understand!" Her voice promptly got louder as she tried to stop, her feet dragging along as they continued walking, pulling her along. She tried to yank away from them, tugging her arms as hard as she could, but it was no use. They were far stronger than her.

The police station's lights came into view as they practically dragged her up to the building. She was just about hyperventilating at that point, tears threatening her eyes.

The police officer that first turned her attention on them sent the three of them a worried stare before hurrying over. "What's the problem here?"

"See that missing persons poster? This is that girl. She ran away from home." Dean's voice was more rough than usual as he tried to keep Bailey from slipping away. She was struggling violently, her body convulsing in any way to escape.

Two more officers came over and took Bailey out of their hands as she began to cry, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks. "We got it from here, thanks." One of them tried to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace.

Bailey tried to rip away from the officers as she looked back at the Winchesters, pleading with them. "Please! Please don't let them take me back there! You don't understand!"

Sam stared off at a wall, guilt and uncertainty washing over him as he tried to not look at the sobbing mess of a girl get dragged further away from them. Dean let out a drained breath, not looking so sure either as he watched.

"Am I the only one that doesn't feel right about this all of a sudden?" Sam mumbled, glancing to his older brother.

Dean's expression was hard to read as he just continued to watch Bailey kick and scream. "It's what we had to do, Sammy. It's for her own good...right?" Dean met Sam's eyes with his question, to which neither of them had an answer for.

As they started to leave the building, they could hear Bailey's voice from the back of the building. Still shouting. Still pleading for them. As they walked out the door, Sam swore he heard her yell "They're not my parents anymore! They're monsters!" He stopped a minute outside, glancing back at the muffled sounds as the door swung closed.

"Come on, man. We have a job to finish up." Dean called, trying to cover up the apprehensiveness in his voice.

* * *

"I think I've got it." Sam straightened in his seat and looked over at Dean, who's attention was now fulled turned towards Sam's computer, before looking back at the screen himself. "I think we're dealing with a Jikininki."

"A what-in-whata?" Dean demanded as he put down their dad's journal and moved closer to the laptop.

"A Jikininki. It's a, uh,_ Japanese human eating ghost_. Well, it's called a ghost but I think it's basically just a monster."

"_Just a monster._" Dean snickered mockingly.

Sam shot him a look before he continued. "It says here: _'they scavenge at night, looking for newly dead bodies and food offerings left for the dead. They sometimes also loot the corpses they eat for valuables, which they use to bribe local officials to leave them in peace.'_"

"Which explains the bloody goodies the police found outside their building."

Sam nodded, "It also says they look like decomposing cadavers, maybe even with a few inhuman features like sharp claws or glowing eyes."

"Well, now we know what our baddy looks like. How do we kill it?" Dean got up from his seat and started to pack up their things to move out, expecting an answer pronto so they could finish up this case.

"Uh..." Sam gave a apologetic grimace, "It doesn't say."

Dean dropped his duffle bag on the bed with an annoyed growl. "Great. So, what then?"

"Give Bobby a call maybe?" Sam offered with a shrug, and Dean nodded in agreement.

The phone only rang twice before it was picked up and a familiar voice came from the other end. "What are you morons getting into now?" Bobby asked in his usual_ 'You're-always-bothering-me-but-not-really'_ voice.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to kill a Jikininki, would you?"

"Uh, yeah, give me a minute." There was a pause and the sound of papers being shuffled around in the background. "Alright. What you're gonna have to do first is write the thing's name down on a piece of paper, then get a bone from one of its victims, burn some mugwort over the stabby end, tie the paper to the bone, and stab the Jikininki in the chest. That should do it."

Dean snatched up Sam's notepad and quickly scribbled down the instructions as Bobby went on. "Wait, hold on. Where the hell do we go _mugwort_?"

"How the hell should I know? Figure it out, ya' Idjit. Look for one of those magic stores kids love to go to or something." When he was finished, Dean was hesitant to thank him just for that last bit before hanging up, but couldn't help smiling when Bobby told them to be careful like he usually did when they were on a job.

They split up once the call was over, Dean went back to the morgue to, uh, borrow a bone from one of the dead guys while Sam looked around for a wiccan shop. To his surprise, there was a small store clutched in between a karate studio and a Payless Shoesource. He looked very out of place and awkward as he walked in. The place smelled strongly of spices and incense. The woman behind the counter smiled at him and leaned against the counter, giving him a sultry smile. "How can I help you, Hun?"

"Do you happen to have any mugwort?" Sam asked, returning her smile with a very awkward looking one of his own. She smiled, chuckled even.

"Chill out cutie, it's not like your asking for pot. I'll go grab some for you." She gave him a wink before disappearing behind a beaded doorway. Sam only had to gracelessly stand there for a couple more minutes before she appeared once more with a bag. He thanked her, paid for the plant, and left.

He and Dean met back up out front of the hotel with the items. On the hood of the Impala, they pulled out a bowl and tossed the mugwort inside before setting it on fire. Bathing the sharpened bone in the smoke for nearly a minute, it seemed ready. Dean pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and tied it around the 'handle' part of the weapon.

"Okay, ready. This better work."

It only took them a couple of hours to find the Jikininki. Unfortunately, some poor woman fell asleep behind the wheel and had a fatal accident, smashing her car head first into a tree. The Jikininki had dragged the woman's body from the wreckage and into the woods where it started to bite into her back. The Winchesters closed in on the monster, hearing it sob quietly to itself as it ate.

"Alright ugly, don't move." Dean came out from behind a tree, startling the creature and it hissed at him, tears falling down its decaying face. It's hair was falling out in clumps, sometimes pulling good chunks of its scalp with it, leaving behind a greenish tent of rot around its skull. The majority of its body was a disgusting greenish color. Its hands were shaking as it continued to cry.

"Please. Please, kill me. End my suffering." It whimpered pitifully as it crumbled to the ground next to the woman's still cooling corpse.

Dean was momentarily pushed off guard. "What?"

"I- I can't stop myself. Look at me! I'm disgusting. I'm horrid. But I can't stop eating them. I can't stop myself. So- so please, kill me. plea-"

Dean had kept his gun trained on the monster, just in case, but with one nod, Sam came from behind a tree to the Jikininki's left and lunged the bone into it's chest. It sunk in with ease as the creature let out a gurgled, it's body burning into ashes around the weapon. Sam staggered back from the pile of ash and looked over at Dean.

"I guess that's it."

"I guess so." Dean confirmed.

* * *

The next morning, they finished packing everything up into the Impala, making sure to report the woman who had crashed her car into a tree so the officials could retrieve the body. They made sure to stress that they saw a wild dog dragging her body into the woods when they stumbled onto the wreckage.

With Dean at the driver's seat, and Sam in his spot in the passenger seat, they drove through town for the last time, not all that sorry to see it go. Dean had been ready to get on to the next hunt, eager to keep his mind off the whole hellhound thing that was eventually going to happen, when Sam nudged his head towards the couple in front of them. Out front of the police station, a couple was walking a very familiar looking girl towards a car. Bailey. She looked a little better than the last time they saw her. She had on a different shirt, one that looked a little big on her, and the pair of jean shorts Sam had bought for her. Her head was downcast as her father held her by the arm with one hand, and opened the car door with the other. Her mother stood at the side, her arms crossed and a look of satisfaction written across her face. It didn't feel right at all to either of the boys.

"Something's wrong with this picture." Sam breathed, unable to take his eyes away as he caught the sight of Bailey biting down on her lip to try and keep from breaking into a sobbing fit.

"Yeah, her parents don't look at all relieved to see her. Do they look a little..._smug_ to you?." Dean asked, hanging the Impala back as her parents got into the car on either side. It started up and pulled out of the parking spot. Sam gave a grim nod in agreement.

"Should we follow them?" Sam asked, looking over at his brother.

Dean felt guilt wash over him. Guilt and anger. They did this. She had been running from these people, whatever they were, and they practically handed her over to them. This was him and Sam's fault.

"Hell yes we're going to follow them." He practically growled, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

Sam swallowed hard as they slowly pulled after the far too nice looking car in front of them. "When we turned her in to the police, I thought I heard her say they weren't her parents. She called them monsters."

And just as he predicted, Dean's head snapped in his direction, anger written across his face. "And you didn't think it was a good idea to tell me about before because-?"

"I- I don't know, Dean! We were on a case and she did seem kind of...desperate? Like she would say anything to get out of there-"

"Well no kidding, Sammy! Maybe because her parents are probably monsters!" Dean snapped, feeling his cool quickly fading away.

"Hey, I wasn't sure, okay? We're going to fix this. As soon as they stop, we'll take care of this." Sam said, unsure if he was reassuring Dean or himself.

They tailed the car for hours without stopping. They didn't stop for gas, or to eat, or anything until they got to the state of Tennessee. A small town rolled into view, along with a sign just outside that read: "Welcome To Townsend". The whole way, Dean made sure to hang back some, without losing them or gaining suspension that they were being followed.

The car pulled into a driveway and Bailey's father got out first. Her mother followed after, opening the back door and roughly grabbing Bailey by the arm. She was pulled out of the car and dragged into the house as one of the neighbors came up from next door. Bailey's father plastered a bright smile to his face and gave the man a wave.

"Its so good to see you got lil' Bailey back. We were all worried sick about her." The Neighbor sighed, putting a hand over his heart.

Bailey's father feigned relief and nodded as he moved towards the door. "Oh me too, Frank. Believe me when I say our little Bailey won't be pulling that little stunt again. I think she learned her lesson." Obviously Frank didn't hear the eerie tone in the man's voice as he waved and disappeared into the house.

Sam and Dean quickly got out of the car and circled back to the trunk. They waited until there wasn't really anyone who'd take notice to them before popping it open and loading up on weapons.

"What do you think they are?" Dean asked, shoving a magazine into his gun.

"I'm thinking demons." Sam said, nodding his head towards the house.

Together they moved quietly to the left side and crept around back. There was a sliding door leading into the kitchen. The drapes were only half closed so the brothers got a pretty good view of Bailey's mother finishing up tying her daughter to a chair. She tightened the ropes so tight that the teenager's fingers were already going white. There was going to be pretty bad bruising.

"Bailey, dear, you shouldn't have tried to run from us. All we were trying to do was love you look good parents should." Bailey's mother cooed, her eyes flashing pure black before blinking back to a pure blue color.

"Taking me out of school, telling the neighbors I was sick while tying me down to my bed for days, threatening to cut my throat in my sleep? Those are your ideas of 'loving'?" Bailey spat, tear streaks staining her pink cheeks. She had been crying the whole car ride.

"Of course, you silly girl." Her father nodded, his back straight as he circled around his daughter before holding out his hand. Her mother passed a rather large knife into his hand and he spun it between his fingers, dangerously close to her face. "And how do you repay us? By running away? Why do you insist on being such a insufferable little good for nothing?"

"Remember when we seriously considered getting an abortion, Dear?" Her mother chimed in, clicking her tongue and crossing her arms innocently as if they were reminiscing about a bad party they attended.

"Oh yes, I remember. Biggest mistake of our lives, not taking up that opportunity while we had the chance. Now look what we're stuck with. A little piece trash that nobody cares about. How pathetic." Her father agreed, gently running the edge of the knife across her shoulder to her neck. He put enough pressure against her skin to prick the skin, gaining a hiss from Bailey.

"Just kill me already. You killed my parents. Just kill me." She choked, squeezing her eyes closed.

"Oh no, Bailey. We don't plan on killing you." Her mother laughed. "She is such a silly girl. No, no, my little Bee-"

Anger flushed through Bailey as she clenched her teeth. "Don't you dare call me that. Only my mother calls me Bee!" She screamed, thrusting forward in some futile attempt at getting out of her bonds.

To this, the creature wearing her mother's skin like a suit smiled, a sick and twisted kind of smile as she bent down in front of Bailey. "But _Little Bee, _I am your mother." She said in such a sweetly sick voice that it drove Bailey over the edge.

Jerking her head back, she bashed her forehead as hard as she could against her mother's face. A satisfying crack came from her nose as she reeled back. Blood pour from her nose as she went to cover it. "You little bitch! You ruined my face!" She hissed.

"Calm down, dear. We'll get you a new one." Her father chuckled.

"Oh, no you won't."

Blood sprayed across Bailey's body as the tip of a knife emerged from her father's throat. The knife was yanked out as her father's body crumbled to the ground. Standing there was Dean Winchester, a not too pleased look on his face. He frowned down at her as she felt fresh tears cloud her eyes. Just when you thought you had nothing left. "Hey, Kiddo. Sorry about, well you know."

From behind Dean, Bailey's mother approached quietly. Bailey's eyes widened as she let out a horse "Dean!". Just as he turned around, her mother shrieked and fell into a heap at Sam's feet. With a sad smile, he waved the bloody knife at the two.

"Bailey, I'm so sorry we didn't listen to you. We shouldn't have done what we did." Sam started, gingerly stepping over her parents.

"I'd...I'd like to be untied now. And bury my parents please." Bailey said softy, glancing up at the two men in front of her.

Dean walked around behind her, and cut the ropes with the same odd looking knife he used to stab through her father's throat. No. That wasn't her father anymore. Standing up, she slowly walked over to stand in front of the crumpled bodies of her parents.

"Whatever you're thinking Bailey, that wasn't them. All that stuff they said, it was the demons, not your parents." Dean offered in a strong voice, hoping to share his strength with her.

"I know." She answered, again in a very soft voice.

"You do?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I figured it out months ago when they-...when they started acting weird. When they pulled me out of school out of nowhere and started abusing me for no reason." She looked up at the brothers then, angrily wiping her wet face. "They never hit me or cursed at me like that. I had wonderful parents until- until two months ago."

"You've been living with demons for two whole freakin' months?" Dean asked, looking astonished.

She gave a somber nod in reply and mumbled, "except for the one week that I was running around on my own, but yeah."

"Do- do you have anywhere to go? Any family?" Sam asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He couldn't ignore the almost painful twist of sympathy he felt when she flinched at his touch. It took her a moment to let her shoulder relax and she answered.

"No. My grandparents on both sides died a while ago. Both of my parents were only children...I don't have any siblings." Bailey sniffed, rubbed her nose, and looked away from her parents to slowly scan her once beloved house. "But I'm eighteen, so I can legally live on my own."

The boys almost seemed taken back by her statement. The very thought of her living by herself after what had happened didn't even come across them as an option. "Live on your own? After all of that?" Sam shook his head, not entirely sure if he was okay with that.

"Do I have much of a choice?" She shrugged, her eyebrows pushing together as she scowled. "I'm alone now."

"Hey, I know you think you're alone but you're not, okay? We can stay and help bury your parents." Sam offered, trying to calm her down.

"And we'll give you the number to our cells just in case you need us." Dean added, walking up and surprising both Bailey and his own brother by wrapping his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "I mean it. If you need anything, you call us." Dean could feel her body shutter under him as she buried her face into his shirt and began to sob quietly.

"Thank you." She hiccuped, clutching at Dean's jacket for dear life as she cried like a child. He gently rubbed her back and stared straight at Sam. The serious look of hatred, guilt, relief, and sorrow all mixed behind his eyes. And Sam felt exactly the same.

* * *

Bailey stood in front of two fresh graves, her arms loosely crossed under her chest as she stared down at the stones marking where her parents now lay. It was better this way. She had thought about it and the suffering her parents were probably going through during those two months. Having to watch themselves beat and abuse their only daughter. She had been able to tell, just by looking into their eyes when she had been enduring the pain before deciding to run away, her parents had given up. Even if the demons had left their bodies, she wasn't sure how her parents would have been able to cope with what they had seen themselves do. Sam and Dean had done them some goodness, ended their suffering for them.

The noisy engine of the Impala rolled up next to her and she smiled over at the two men sitting inside. The Winchesters. The hunters that saved her and her parents. Her Guardian angels. Not only had they given her a cell phone with a couple of numbers already in it just in case, they told Bobby about her and where he lived if she ever felt the need to be somewhere safe. Even when she was alone, she wasn't really alone.

"Thanks, you guys." Bailey smiled, and gave a wave.

Sam waved back as Dean offered a small smile in return. "Remember to give us a call if anything comes up."

"You guys don't have to worry about me anymore. Go save someone else now." She gestured for them to shoo and watched as real smiles appeared on both of their faces.

"See you around, Bailey."

"Bye, guys."


End file.
